MLB News

D-backs' 3 jacks provide lift in win over Tigers

By
Jordan Horrobin and Kyle BeeryMLB.com

DETROIT -- David Peralta belted a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning to propel the D-backs to a 7-6 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night at Comerica Park.

The D-backs hit leadoff doubles in the sixth, seventh and eighth with the score tied, but it wasn't until Peralta's solo shot to left that the Tigers' bending bullpen finally broke. Closer Justin Wilson (2-2) allowed his fourth homer of the season on a first-pitch fastball on the outer edge to Peralta. It erased a six-run sixth inning by Detroit to wipe out a 6-0 deficit after starter Zack Greinke yielded just two hits and a walk through five innings.

DETROIT -- David Peralta belted a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning to propel the D-backs to a 7-6 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night at Comerica Park.

The D-backs hit leadoff doubles in the sixth, seventh and eighth with the score tied, but it wasn't until Peralta's solo shot to left that the Tigers' bending bullpen finally broke. Closer Justin Wilson (2-2) allowed his fourth homer of the season on a first-pitch fastball on the outer edge to Peralta. It erased a six-run sixth inning by Detroit to wipe out a 6-0 deficit after starter Zack Greinke yielded just two hits and a walk through five innings.

"For a game that looked like it was going entirely the Diamondbacks' way, I thought we did a good job turning it around," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said he thought Greinke was very efficient through the first five innings and felt the defense failed to make a few plays that could have gotten him out of trouble in that inning.

"There was one long inning he had because of a couple at-bats, I think [Jose Iglesias] extended him a little bit," Lovullo said. "But for the most part, things were going in a very good direction. I felt like we didn't take care of the ball in a couple key situations, which led to that sixth inning hiccup, and it cost Zack a couple of good moments of staying out there."

Tigers starter Buck Farmer, who was coming off back-to-back scoreless starts, was tagged for six runs on nine hits in 2 1/3 innings. After two infield hits helped the D-backs get on the board in the first, they powered up in the third on two-run homers by Paul Goldschmidt and Brandon Drury, who homered for the third straight game and recorded his first four-hit game of the season.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDD-backs leave 'em loaded: With none out in the eighth inning, Arizona loaded the bases against Tigers reliever Alex Wilson. Then, Wilson got pinch-hitter Chris Herrmann to ground to Miguel Cabrera for a 3-2-3 double play, before Gregor Blanco flied out to right. In the sixth, the D-backs had the bases loaded with one out against Chad Bell, who got Blanco to ground into a double play to end the threat.

Detroit bats around in sixth: Greinke was in total control against the Tigers, who didn't have a runner reach second in the first five innings, until they chased him in the sixth. Five runs were unearned, as the D-backs aided the rally with a throwing error from Drury and a bobbled fly ball by Peralta in right. Detroit sent 11 batters to the plate and recorded six hits.

"The third time through, we just felt more comfortable really," said Tigers third baseman Nicholas Castellanos, who was 2-for-4. "We had one good at-bat after another, after another, after another. That's how you keep the line moving."

Part of the sixth-inning burst was J.D. Martinez's 11th home run, a deep shot to left-center on a slider over the heart of the plate. Martinez's homer travelled a projected 453 feet, good for his second-longest home run since the start of 2015, according to Statcast™. It was also the longest home run allowed by Greinke in that time.

QUOTABLE"I know that he's probably a little disappointed with a ball or two that got away from him in right field, but he separated things. He came back, left on left, he pounded the ball off a very, very quality reliever to the opposite field in this stadium, that says something." -- Lovullo, on Peralta rebounding from misplayed ball in sixth to win the game at the plate

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDSCabrera logged his 1,582nd career RBI, tying him with Tigers great Al Kaline for the 36th most RBIs in MLB history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Because RBIs became an official Major League stat in 1920, Elias' tally begins at that date. Due to the uncertain nature of record keeping in the early part of the 20th century, some discrepancies may exist between the stats provided today by different historical data providers.

MLB.com utilizes different statistics than Elias. Due to these discrepancies, through research, at some point Kaline was awarded another RBI and by MLB.com's count, and Cabrera is one RBI behind Kaline, who is 41st on the list with 1,583.

WHAT'S NEXTD-backs: Right-hander Taijuan Walker (4-3, 3.46 ERA) will make his return from the DL -- after missing nearly a month with a blister on his right index finger -- on Wednesday at 5:10 p.m. MT in the series finale at Comerica Park. He threw six shutout innings in his last start at San Diego on May 19 before going on the DL.

Tigers: Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (5-4, 5.72) will start Wednesday's series finale at 7:10 p.m. ET. He hasn't faced the D-backs since 2014, and owns a 3.66 ERA in six career starts against them.